by Natalie Bradley, Flint Energies Community Connections Specialist
A couple of years ago, my daughter and I went to Plains to watch fireworks on Independence Day. As we all settled in a few minutes before the fireworks began, an ordinary looking van followed by a blacked-out SUV drove by less than 50 feet from us. Everyone made way for them, and I asked what was going on and discovered that tiny motorcade was President and Mrs. Carter with their security detail attending the fireworks with us.
I just sat there for a minute in silence letting that sink in. We were enjoying fireworks on Independence Day with a former President and First Lady of the United States of America, the very President and First Lady who were in office when I was born. And everyone around us was all business-as-usual. It was surreal, and it was an experience I will never forget.
This is how Plains will always be in my memory – the place where we enjoyed fireworks with the President and First Lady (even though they were completely unaware of my presence).
I’ve been back many times since then and I just love this tiny rural town. It’s rich with history and friendly southern people, downtown has a main street filled with thriving shops, restaurants, a beautiful historic inn and venue, surrounded by peanut farms and rural life. Plains feels like visiting a movie set. It’s so southern, American and has this feeling of being frozen in time in many ways celebrating when Jimmy Carter ran for the presidency, won and held the office along with his wife, Rosalynn, who created the modern office of the First Lady of the United States of America.
This fall, I enjoyed learning so much more about Plains when I visited the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park in Plains, Georgia. I’m eager to go back and explore more! This is a great place to plan to take your family, soak up some history and tour the grounds of The Boyhood Home and Farm, Plains High School, then go downtown to the Plains Depot and enjoy a meal and shopping while you’re there! Admission is free, and they highly recommend starting your journey at the Plains High School, which is also the park’s Visitor Center and Museum, then continue to The Boyhood Home and Farm and the Plains Depot, and don’t forget to enjoy downtown!
The Plains High School Visitor Center was a delight with all the interesting historical information. I didn’t realize that Plains High School is the state school of Georgia, and that this school piloted kindergarten, twelfth grade, and the state sponsored school lunch! I was also unaware that while both Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter graduated from the school, Rosalynn was the valedictorian in 1944. It’s incredible to think about all the programs piloted here before President Carter was widely known. The history and story of this little rural town alone is remarkable, and when you add in all the extraordinary experiences and lives of the Carters, you have full day of enjoyment for any history buff to find in Plains, Georgia!
Jimmy Carter’s Boyhood Home and Farm has a rich history going back to 1928 when the Carters moved there and became the owners. It feels like you’re taking a step back in time as you walk through his home, see what their home life was life, enjoy learning about the crops that were grown there, and see their family store on the property. One of the draws is the authentic farm experience you’ll get there as you can see various crops growing on the farm including sugarcane, cotton, corn, tomatoes, and, of course, peanuts. The Boyhood Farm is also home to goats, mules and chickens, which adults and children alike enjoy interacting with on the farm.
The Plains Depot was chosen for President Carter’s 1976 Presidential Campaign Headquarters because it was vacant and had a public restroom. Today you can enjoy touring the depot as it is now a museum for Jimmy Carter’s campaign for the Georgia State Senate, the Governor of Georgia, as well as President of the United States.
While you’re enjoying the Plains Depot, make sure you also stroll through the downtown shops and plan for lunch at the café. You’ll love all the colorful flowers planted to attract butterflies to Rosalynn Carter’s butterfly gardens, the patriotic touches everywhere, and sit a spell in one of the chairs downtown while you travel back in time and enjoy the slower pace of rural Georgia if only for a little while.
Special thanks to Courtney Stoops, Education Program Specialist with the Jimmy Carter National Historic Park for sharing so much information with me and giving me a private tour of the entire park.
